The political drama, set in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico incident, serves as Stark’s feature film directorial debut and he reveals he was widely advised to cast Bruce Dern in the role of Rayne Price, following his Oscar nomination for Nebraska – but it was Fonda he really wanted for the job.

Stark tells WENN, “I was very adamant that Peter Fonda be in the movie from the very beginning. Bruce Dern had just been nominated (for Nebraska) and people were talking about him for the role, but I wanted Peter Fonda.

“He produced the oil spill documentary The Big Fix (that examines the April, 2010 oil spill) and he was very interested in the cause.”

Stark admits he couldn’t quite believe it when the Easy Rider star actually signed on to the project, which features Nicolas Cage as an embattled politician whose career unravels following a sex scandal.

The filmmaker continues, “(Fonda) hasn’t done a role like this before. He’s one of the most under-appreciated actors.

“Showing up on set the first day and doing a scene with Nicolas Cage and Peter Fonda as a first-time director; two legendary actors in a movie that I’m directing is a pretty incredible experience.”

Stark hopes the movie will turn the spotlight back on New Orleans, Louisiana and its residents, who are still trying to rebuild five years on from the disaster.

The director, who made an effort to cast locals directly affected by the spill, adds, “I hope this film brings awareness to the disaster because it still remains relevant five years later. BP said they would pay people that lost money as a result of the oil spill but it was a nightmare. People didn’t receive money for years and some didn’t at all. Granted BP has paid out a lot of money as of today but a lot of the local fisherman, the restaurant and hotel owners affected by the spill had to suffer while they weren’t getting paid and a lot of people lost their jobs as a result.

“This is the first narrative feature about the BP oil spill so New Orleans residents were really happy that somebody was tackling their cause. Nic Cage also has lived down there and they see him as part of the community and so they gave us a lot of love.”

In the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill, an idealistic but flawed politician (Nicolas Cage) is forced to confront his dysfunctional life after his career is destroyed in a sex scandal. Also stars Sarah Paulson, Connie Nielsen, Wendell Pierce, Bryan Batt and Peter Fonda.

My latest film, “The Runner” is opening in theaters and On Demand on August 7th!

Peter attends the Universal Pictures’ ‘Jurassic World’ premiere at the Dolby Theatre on June 9, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

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]]>The Fondas were a famous fixture of the Omaha Community Playhousehttp://www.peterfonda.com/the-fondas-were-a-famous-fixture-of-the-omaha-community-playhouse/
Thu, 02 Apr 2015 14:43:00 +0000http://www.peterfonda.com/the-fondas-were-a-famous-fixture-of-the-omaha-community-playhouse/The Fondas were a famous fixture of the Omaha Community Playhouse

Posted March 30th, 2015

The Omaha Community Playhouse was a familiar spot to many more Fondas than Henry.

His sisters, Harriet Fonda Peacock Warren and Jayne Fonda Schoentgen, also appeared in early productions. Jayne beat her brother to the stage with a small part in the Playhouse’s first play, “The Enchanted Cottage.” Harriet won praise as a princess in “The Romantic Age” in early 1926.

Of course, the Oscar-winning actor could be marvelously funny on screen in such comedies as Preston Sturges’ sparkling 1941 masterpiece, “The Lady Eve.” But he was best known for his dramatic work in such films as John Ford’s 1940 “The Grapes of Wrath,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination as Tom Joad; Sidney Lumet’s 1957 directorial debut, “Twelve Angry Men”; and 1981’s “On Golden Pond,” for which he won the Academy Award for lead actor.

The 75-year-old Oscar-nominated screenwriter and actor sat down with THR’s Scott Feinberg for a wide-ranging, hour-long conversation.

As hard as it is to believe, Peter Fonda — one of the key faces of 1960s counter-culture, particularly through the iconic film Easy Rider, which he co-wrote and stars in — is now 75 years old, only two years younger than his legendary father, Henry Fonda, was when he passed away in 1982. Peter is wearing his years better — whereas Henry seemed like an old man at this age, Peter is energetic, trim and, with his tight jeans, leather jacket and shades, looks like he’s ready for another cross-country motorcycle ride. But when he joined me for an hour-long interview at the TCM Classic Film Festival last week, the resemblance was still undeniable: this was Henry Fonda’s boy….

For four days “Movie-topia” descended on Hollywood Boulevard as thousands of vintage film fans flocked to the TCM Classic Film Festival. Buffs came to see timeless Tinseltown pictures on the big screen and cinema superstars’ personal appearances at the sixth annual filmfest presented by Turner Classic Movies, the cable TV channel devoted to commercial-free oldies but goodies of the silver screen.

Coldplay “Magic”

Posted January 14th, 2015

Last Spring, I was asked to play the role of a magician on a music video for the band ColdPlay. I love Coldplay and this album is amazing!! The song is “Magic” from their latest album titled Coldplay: Live Ghost Stories 2014 which was just released in December. I was thrilled to work with Chris Martin, Zhang Ziyi, and the director, Jonas Akerlund on this director’s cut. The set was amazing; a completely reconstructed 1800’s circus in downtown Los Angeles near Chinatown. I love how it was shot in black and white! The tricks which were great fun to learn how to perform, and my costume, well, it was fabulous! The hair and make-up department on the set did an amazing job turning me into an older version of Chris Martin’s character. Enjoy the DVD and remember, “Always believe in magic!”…

Peter Fonda suited up and slung his leg over the LiveWire, a prototype electric superbike from Harley-Davidson.

In seconds, he was gone, shouting as he left, “I love it! This is fantastic!”

Making his first pass, he threw a smile and a thumbs-up, then shot off again.

When he’d made two more passes and slid to a stop, he said his only thoughts, during the first lap, were, “This is a blast — I don’t wanna drop it! This is so smooth — I don’t wanna drop it!”

This is the same Fonda who, as the star and co-writer of the classic road movie “Easy Rider,” put the chopper on the American cultural map and made motorcycling a mainstream activity.

In five minutes, he’d gone electric.

Weeks earlier, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times about an upcoming auction sale of a vintage Harley-Davidson purported to be the last of the “Easy Rider” motorcycles, he had suddenly changed the topic and started talking about the modern-day Harleys.